Self-assessment of public/community toilets based on TBC’s Star Rated Guidelines-AUGUST
The quarterly self-assessment of toilet facilities by the Toilet Board Coalition’s cohort companies for August is presented below. Data from 104 sites across India, Bangladesh and Zambia is represented here.
The self-assessment parameters cover 7 categories – toilet entrance, general cleanliness, wash area, WC, urinals, safety & security including additional measures during pandemic and smart/digital elements if available in the sanitation facilities.
All the sites reported that they have clear and easily visible signages where possible and all of them have separate entrance from men and women. These sites are also easily accessible to differently abled users as shown in the chart below.
ramp for wheelchairs
The overall general cleanliness is good in all the sites. The sites have walls and ceiling that are clean, dry and dustless; the floor is clean, dry, intact and litter free; there is absence of malodor in the toilet; ventilation / openings for air are in place and functioning; basic amenities like soap, sanitizers, tissues & bins are in place. Almost 90% of these sites now have resource / water saving devices in place.
By providing maze entrance and partition of urinals and cubicles these sites ensure privacy for toilet users. The data shows that these sites present an opportunity to install suggestion box and educational materials at their premises.
water saving measures are implemented
suggestion box is in place
In the wash area, all the sites have taps, hand dryers, litter bins that are clean and in working condition with no leakages or damages to the fittings, fixtures and plumbing. The wash area is overall clean, fairly dry, tidy and litter free. However, there is scope to improve the provision of soap dispensers and tissues and ensure they are in working condition are replenished from time to time.
wash area is overall clean
In the WC area, all sites have cubicle doors that are clean, functioning and latched; have seat cover wherever western toilet is installed; have bag/coat hooks in place and intact; toilet bowl/squat seat intact and unclogged; cubicle floor is uncluttered, clean and fairly dry; toilet flush is clean and functioning; toilet paper, where provided, is intact and replenished; waste bins with liners are in place and clean. However, provision of sanitary bins with liners seems to be lacking in nearly 70% of the sites.
sanitary bin is in place
When it comes to the urinals section, all the sites have reported to have urinals intact, unclogged and free of stains. And the flush, whether it is manual, or auto-flush are clean and functioning.
In the safety and security category, all the sites have fully functional internal and external lighting; walls and ceiling intact; no loose electrical wires; and all cleaning equipment is sanitized regularly. Majority of the sites have non-invasive, privacy respecting surveillance in their premises.
non-invasive, privacy respecting surveillance
With respect to pandemic appropriate behavior, it is observed that at all the sites people are following social distancing norms and they are wearing masks while stepping into the sanitation facilities. It is found that the users are also sanitizing their hands before stepping in to the sanitation facilities. Almost all the staff is wearing mask and gloves and majority of the staff is keeping social distance while interacting with the toilet users. However, only one third of the sites reported to have all the common surfaces touched by users being sanitized every 2 hours.
Almost all the sites have footfall counting devices and only 30% of them have user feedback device in place.
